


Seeking Respect

by amako



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Denial of Feelings, F/F, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Politics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Time Travel Fix-It, Uchiha Obito Lives, Uchiha Obito is turned into a child, Women Being Awesome, bear with me, but also yay for femslash I guess, or to be more precise, this is all ilah's fault, uh this is painful
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-03-13 07:10:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13565463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amako/pseuds/amako
Summary: No one challenges Uzumaki Mito, heir of Uzushiogakure and First Lady of Clan Senju.(somehow, Haruno Sakura didn't get the memo)





	1. The Gods are with you

It's difficult to believe a week ago, they were still slaughtering the dark-haired clan on the battlefield. Hashirama marvels at how efficiently the peace talks were set up, and how prompt every side is to forge a lasting treaty. It seems that, at last, their clans are finally tired of fighting.

Hashirama longs to sit down and talk to Madara, as friends and not clan heads. He's relieved to see Izuna sitting next to his older brother, when less than a month ago he disappeared from the fight after Tobirama struck him down. They all believed he had killed him, but Hashirama could not be happier to be proved otherwise. He can see in the tension vanishing from Tobirama's shoulders that he is too. His younger brother must have realized what Izuna's death would have meant for their chances at peace.

They're hammering down what will be the basis for the laws they're hoping to enforce in their village-to-be. It's long, it's tiresome, and none of them is very well versed in politics. They're all too young for the experience and they're basically figuring it out as they go. Hashirama is about to propose a break, because he can see how short Madara's temper is getting, when the bamboo door slides open.

The Clans are meeting on neutral land, in temporary houses built with the Senju's mokuton. The meeting room is functional, almost bare and just enough to host the major players in both clans.

Hashirama is sure to have been introduced to everyone on the Uchiha party. Yet he can't remember that broad-shouldered woman with black hair cut close to the scalp, who's facing away from them as she closes the door. When she turns around, he can feel everyone on his side of the room drawing their weapons.

Tobirama is quicker, flickering behind the woman and pressing a blade to her throat. Hashirama follows half a second later, his mokuton wrapping around her legs. The fury he feels is disorienting, so different from the happiness he was experiencing a moment ago.

 

"Who are you?" he snarls, his nose an inch away from her face. "How did you get that seal, thief?"

"Hashirama!" Madara's voice is offended. "Release her immediately!"

The Senju bares his teeth. "I will most certainly not. That seal has no place on her skin and I want to know where she stole it from!"

 

The woman tries to move, her hand coming to Tobirama's wrist, but he presses the blade harder and cuts deeply into her skin, blood dripping freely from the cut. She coughs, a choked sound escaping her damaged throat.

 

"Senju, that's enough! You will release her or we will meet you tomorrow on the battlefield."

"You would sacrifice our peace for _that_?"

Madara looks deadly serious as he speaks. "She is the only reason Izuna is alive."

 

Tobirama's eyes widen and he absently releases some of the pressure. It's enough for the woman. She takes his wrist and grips it hard. It snaps with a disgusting sound. Tobirama's face becomes chalk white and he staggers back, nursing his wrist close to his chest and he looks at her with horror.

She raises a glowing green hand to her throat and the wound closes in a matter of seconds. Then the green morphs, seems to solidify and she cuts through Hashirama's mokuton like she would through mud.

Now it's Tobirama's turn to look outraged. Hashirama doesn't know much about his medical jutsu, but he's absolutely certain he told no one about the chakra weapons he developed; if only because the jutsu is merely months old. That woman must be a spy, and a very good one to have caught so many secret techniques of their clan.

 

"Tobirama-san, please give me your wrist," she says in a firm voice. When his brother doesn't comply, she takes it by force and heals the break in a matter of second.

 

Tobirama is a genius in his own right, but even he would have needed at least five minutes to do the same thing. Not only is she a spy, but she's a prodigy. They absolutely cannot let her linger on their lands if it means losing all of their secrets to her prying eyes.

 

"Are you alright, Haruno?" Izuna asks, frowning slightly.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. How about you all take a break? I have something to tell Madara and you anyway."

Madara nods, but Hashirama scowls and speaks up. "I am not going anywhere until you admit where you got those techniques from. We will not allow a thief to attend our meetings."

"I don't see how this is any of you business, Hashirama," Madara snaps. "She did not steal anything from you."

"Liar. I know only one person with that seal and she invented it."

Madara scoffs. "Did you ever stop and think that maybe your wife isn't the only one with half a mind out there?"

"He's right, though," Tobirama interrupts. "I created the chakra scalpel and told no one about it."

 

Haruno crosses her arms and leans against the wall.

 

"Then how come I'm a thousand times better at it than you are? By all means I should be scrambling to even understand how it works, and yet I use it far more comfortably that you ever could."

"Maybe you practised relentlessly."

"Or maybe I'm just that good," she steps forward, "maybe I invented it before you. Who knows, maybe you're not the only genius around here?"

 

Izuna sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

"Please, can we all stop? Haruno didn't steal either of your jutsu and I'd like a break. I'm starving."

"This is not over," Tobirama scowls, and Hashirama wants to agree with him. But Madara's burning eyes are on him and he has to agree that this woman couldn't have had many opportunities to spy on them. He'll talk to Mito about it and see what she thinks.

 

 

 

Mito, as it turns out, thinks very strongly about it. The minute she learns someone has the same seal as her, she's out of the door and running for the Uchiha's quarters. Hashirama tries to go after her but she trips him in the most childish way and locks the door behind. Since they're on neutral grounds and he wants to avoid alerting everyone to what's happening, he has to escape by the window and it takes him a shamefully long amount of time.

By the time he's out and looking, Mito has disappeared and everything is quiet.

He curses and ponders asking his brother to track her, but he doubts Mito would take kindly to his worry. He doesn't have to wonder for long, though.

A deafening sound suddenly shakes the very ground he stands on and he jumps in surprise. Another explosion and he watches, baffled, as Mito crashes through the outer wall of one of the smaller houses and is sent flying past him and straight through another house.

Before he can react, Mito stands out from the rubble and runs back to where she came from. A broad silhouette cuts through the remains of the first wall and meets her headfront. Hashirama winces when Mito slashes through the woman's tunic and draws the first blood.

Haruno doesn't wait long to answer in kind and she stomps the ground with her foot, creating a crater underneath them. She jumps right after, avoiding the collapse unlike Mito who stumbles.

 

"What the fuck is going on? HARUNO!"

 

Hashirama almost gives himself whiplash when he turns around to look at his oldest friend. Madara is furious. Hashirama himself doesn't know how to react. Mito is a very capable shinobi and it's slightly terrifying to watch her fight. That woman, though, is absolutely horrifying.

She also appears to be looking at the shattered ground in shame as Madara marches towards her.

 

"I told you to stop doing that. I fucking told you! Now I find you fighting the Lady Uzumaki during _peace talks?_ "

 

Haruno mumbles something that even Madara, who's right in her face, doesn't seem to catch.

 

"What?"

"She attacked me first," Haruno replies, her eyes still cast downward.

Madara turns towards Mito, as she smoothes her white kimono. "Is that true?"

"You can't prove it," she says with a dignified snort.

 

(how she can make a snort sound dignified is completely beyond Hashirama's understanding)

 

"Seriously?! What the fuck, lady! If I didn't woke up, there would be a kunai stuck in my eye!"

"And I would know for sure you're a thief undeserving of my technique."

Haruno growls. "Your technique my ass, you don't have the monopoly on sealing."

 

Madara makes a frustrated noise and looks to the night sky in despair.

 

"What did I _just_ tell you about antagonizing Uzumaki ladies during peace talks?"

"Fuck you all, I just wanted to sleep."

 

Haruno turns around and starts to walk away, but Mito grabs her wrist. In a blurry motion Hashirama barely manages to catch, Haruno crouches and reverses the force behind Mito's catch. His wife flies above the woman's head and releases her wrist in a panic, landing in a wobbly stand.

 

"Don't touch me," Haruno snarls, her previously broken wrist swelling slowly.

 

Then she starts walking again, this time without anyone stopping her as she goes back inside the house through the broken wall.

 

 

 

_("Did you really attack her?" Hashirama asks later._

_"No one can prove it."_

_"Mito."_

_She throws her arms up. "What?"_

_"_ Really _?"_

_"Husband, need I remind you what's on her forehead?"_

_Hashirama sighs. "Those peace talks are going to be so long.")_

 

 

 


	2. White alert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter (hell, this whole story) is dedicated to my partner in crime theformerone. You're responsible for 78% of this bullshit.

The next morning is awkward.

Hashirama rebuilds the broken walls without a word, before joining Madara for breakfast with his brother and wife in tow.

Of course, Haruno is there too, sitting on Izuna's left and munching quietly on some umeboshi. With a child in her lap.

A child. In her lap.

Hashirama is very, very tired.

He has the Uchiha's silky black hair and dark eyes, but the delighted smile he sports looks really weird on his pale face. Maybe because Hashirama can't remember ever seeing an Uchiha baby smiling.

He can feel Tobirama freeze by his side, when he notices. His brother joins him slowly, Mito a step behind, both of them staring without any sense of property. Hashirama should not be the only sensible one and he definitely should not be the most polite of the lot. It's a very weird and freaky sensation.

 

"Good morning," Izuna salutes, handing them clean bowls and chopsticks. "We're hoping you'll like the dishes, they're unique to our clan."

 

Mito looks up in surprise.

 

"That is very kind of you, Izuna-san. Can I ask who made those?"

"I did," a gentle voice answers.

 

Hashirama recognises the teenager, having seen him in battle before. He's a tall, lanky boy with silky hair in a ponytail, limbs too long like they always seem to be for teens his age.

 

"Hikaku said it would be a good way to introduce you to our culture," Izuna adds as he helps himself to more rice.

"Thank you, Hikaku-san," Mito says with her head bowing slightly.

 

The boy looks deeply uncomfortable but nods anyway and stands guard at the door while the Senju all start eating. Hashirama is surprised by the sweet flavour, having pegged the Uchiha for spice users instead. He finds he rather likes it. He's so completely engrossed in his bowl he doesn't notice the shifting in front of him until a subtle cough gains his attention.

Madara is not-so-discretely elbowing Haruno, who's stubbornly staring at the child in her lap, her scarred hands rubbing at his belly.

Then Izuna, with a confidence Hashirama finds either really brave or completely suicidal, grabs the child and tucks him against his hip. Haruno gapes at him for a second before Madara elbows her again. She glares at the brothers one at a time, before gritting her teeth and finally meeting his eyes for the first time since they entered the room.

 

"Hashirama-san, please forgive my previous behaviour. I apologise for attacking your wife so rudely."

 

She snorts once, before growling in frustration.

 

"Oh, this is nonsense. If I have to apologise, let me do it to her! Why do I have to say it to her husband?"

"Haruno!" Madara hisses.

"Sexist motherfuckers, this is fucking bullshit."

 

Hashirama looks at her with a stunned face, until he can feel Mito moving next to him. She shuffles a bit on her knees, getting closer to the table, and bowing lower than her rank demands of her.

 

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You're forgiven, and I apologise too."

 

Haruno sends her a pleased smile, bowing too.

 

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," his wife goes on. "I'm Uzumaki Mito. Please be kind to me."

"I'm Haruno. It is very nice to meet you, Mito-san."

 

Hashirama bites back a comment, and he can see his brother lifting an eyebrow at the single name. It's very strange to hear his wife speak on her own behalf, but he doesn't particularly mind. It's hearing the other woman's foul mouth that's making an impression on him.

The child makes a small noise, and Haruno turns to look at him. He's reaching for her, his chubby hands grabbing the air in her direction. She picks him up from Izuna's compliant grip, and presses him to her chest, his nose going instinctively to her neck.

 

"This is Uchiha Sokai, my son," Haruno says with a daring curve in her eyebrow, like she's expecting them to make a comment. They carefully avoid doing so.

 

There is a small knock on the sliding door, and Hikaku moves aside to let a young Senju girl inside. She's carrying a new teapot that she places on the table, before bowing and leaving the room. The conversation slides to more comfortable subjects, Hashirama and Madara bantering quietly about the number of dango stands a proper village should have.

Izuna and Haruno are playing with Sokai, each with a small plum between their chopsticks while the child tries to catch them. The fresh teapot is shared between Tobirama and Mito, both of them watching the woman in front of them with careful eyes. The youngest Senju wants to dissect everything she knows, figure out how good she is with this medical scalpel of hers.

Mito was pleasantly surprised by Haruno's insistence to address her directly, and now she can't help but wonder just how much this woman differs from the ones she knows. She seems like the kind Tōka would respect, if not trust. Fighting women are a rarity, even more so those ready to challenge a Clan Head's authority like Haruno did.

They're interrupted again by the same Senju girl, this time with a plate of omurice. She's closing the door behind her when Sokai freezes, no longer chasing Izuna's chopsticks. He burrows into Haruno's side and raises frightened eyes to her frowning face.

 

" _Kaasan_ ," he whispers. "Kaasan!"

 

For a second, Haruno tenses before relaxing her posture completely. Her face becomes blank but her eyes don't leave the girl as she approaches their table.

When she kneels down at Hashirama's side to put the plate next to his bowl of rice, Haruno springs into action.

She pushes Sokai into Izuna's startled arms and steps on the table, using it to jump towards the girl. Haruno arms her fist and strikes the Senju's cheek hard enough to send her flying through the previously closed door.

Amongst the chaos of cries and surprised shouts, Haruno marches to the rising form of the girl, passing through the broken door without sparing it a glance.

 

"Madara!" she shouts. "White alert!"

 

It's apparently enough of an explanation for the Uchiha. Izuna nods briefly to his brother before flickering, the child still in his arms. Madara gestures to Hikaku who sends him a pair of kunai. He then turns to the Senju party.

 

"I don't have time to explain, but everyone here is in danger. Evacuate those who can't fight and send those who can to protect them. We need to relocate, right now!"

Hashirama frowns. "What's going on?"

"Do you trust me?" Madara's face is deadly serious.

"I do."

"Then please, evacuate. If you can't stop yourself, then come back and help us."

 

Hashirama nods and flashes quick hand signals to his brother. Tobirama doesn't wait a second to round up everyone on the Senju guard and escort out the few civilians they took with them.

 

"Mito, go with them. I know you can defend yourself, but we have no idea what this is about, so I'm certainly not risking you."

She hides her disappointment behind a nod. "Fine, but you will explain everything to me when you come back to the Compound."

"I promise. Go!"

 

The Uzumaki runs to catch up with Tobirama, without looking back. It is a matter of trust, in the end.

Hashirama follows Madara from a distance, which allows him to appreciate just how much destruction Haruno is capable of. What he thought to be a Senju maid is slowly turning into a white entity, her skin melting of to reveal a pale hide and repulsive eyes.

Madara locks on hand into a seal and spits out a gigantic fireball. The white humanoid avoids it, jumping to the side exactly where Madara seems to have planned it: into Haruno's waiting grip.

The woman catches the creature's wrist and pushes her other palm against his shoulder blade. In one fluid movement, she rips his arm from his torso. The creature staggers and she jabs her heel into the back of his knee, effectively breaking it. The thing falls to the ground, and Madara jumps onto its back, using both his kunai to sever its head off.

Haruno wipes some grime off of her cheek and looks down at Madara, sitting crossed legs on the back of the dead thing.

 

"They're finding you faster," he says with a frustrated scowl.

"I know," she sighs, sitting down heavily next to him. "I hate it but I don't know how to stop it."

"We'll figure it out," he says, before looking at Hashirama. Haruno follows his eyes and stares at him too. "After all, we have twice as many brains to think about it, now."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some choices I made:
> 
> • Uchiha and Senju have a different culture, which ranges from food to dialect to fashion. This will be explored more in the future, but expect a culture shock when the village is founded  
> • I hc the Haruno as Uzumaki who escaped Uzushio and changed their name as to avoid being wiped out. Since Uzushio will never be destroyed in this timeline, Sakura has no reason to want to change her name, because the Haruno will never exist. As to why she didn't keep her first name, it will be adressed later.  
> • Sokai means "a cherished hope"  
> • I researched at length what would be the proper way to adress a mother, based on status and period. Kaasan is familiar enough but still respectful. Period-wise, it means Sokai will call her "haha-ue" when talking about her to Clan Heads and other important figures, and simply "haha" when talking to everyone else  
> • It isn't mentionned yet, but Sakura is 27 here. She was 23 when she went back in time.  
> • Hashirama & Madara are 25. Mito is 26. Tobirama & Izuna are 23. Hikaku is 15. Tôka is 27.


	3. Uchiha sweets

Hashirama can't swallow the lump in his throat when the last house rises from the ground. He is beyond exhausted, and his clansmen aren't faring much better. It's the kind of numbness you only start feeling after the pain has faded and there is nothing left in your bones but the deep, aching knowledge that if you stop moving, you'll never be able to start again.

He can't believe they've actually done it. The village is here, standing proud where the straight edge of the mountain looks like it's guarding it. After decades of war, they are finally at peace.

It doesn't fully sink in until he sees the families, packed and with flocks of children trailing behind them, crossing the open doors of the brand new wall. Each of them has a small map in their hands, trying to find the house they've been assigned to. Senju are chattering with Uchiha, and despite the sometimes cautious looks the oldest send each other, they're coming into this village side by side.

Hashirama leans against the wall, his short breath forcing him to pay attention to his balance. They've been building the houses for almost a day, and that's not counting the administrative buildings, much bigger than the homes grown all from the exact same floor plan.

He's glad for the time to recollect his thoughts and deal with the fact that yes, the fighting is over, and he's about to lead a village alongside his oldest friend.

His oldest friend, whose grumpy face he hasn't seen since the latest talks, at which Madara had refused to explain the “white alert”, as it had been called at the time. It's hard not to take it personally, even if he knows secrets can sometimes mean the difference between like and death in the world they're living in.

A hand comes out of nowhere and presses against his aching chest. Hashirama jumps, heart rate following suit in preparation for a fight. But the palm lights up a vibrant green and he raises his head to see dark hair on a pale face and a large cloth wrapped around a broad torso to secure a child. Whose eyes are staring straight at his face.

He groans, quickly growing uncomfortable under the child's focused eyes. The chakra is soothing and helps relieve the tension in his shoulders. Hashirama smiles at Haruno, grateful for the small act of kindness.

 

“You shouldn't strain yourself like this, Hashirama-sama. Who knows when you'll need your strength?”

He laughs freely. “Don't worry about it, we're at peace now!”

“I did not mean against the Uchiha, Shodaime.”

 

Her serious tone is enough to send him back to those peace talks and the disgusting creature she fought. He nods, his expression focused.

 

“You'll need to explain this to me, Haruno-san.”

“I will. For now, though, I believe I have a house to change into a home, and a son to put to bed. I'm afraid the walk from the Uchiha lands tired him.”

“I won't keep you, then. I've been asked by the Lady Uzumaki to formally invite you to dinner. Please let us know what time suits you the best.”

“Thank you, Hashirama-sama. Have a pleasant day.”

 

She turns around, her head bowed to look at the child slowing waking up where he's pressed against her chest. Hashirama's yearning to ask questions is like an itch that he can't seem to scratch. He wants to know who is the father, if a Senju killed him on the battlefield. He wants to know if she's a Uchiha who renounced her name, of if she comes from somewhere else.

Most of all, he burns to ask how she taught herself medical ninjutsu and the chakra seal on her forehead.

He lets her go, though, and turns towards his own house. Despite all her mysteries, Haruno is right about one thing. They do have to turn this village into a home.

 

The market is a sad little thing on this silent morning. They've only been here a month, and Mito rationally knows there is no way for anything beyond salads to start growing in so little time. It doesn't change the fact that she wishes for more diversity in what the merchants have to offer. If she has to eat plain rice again, she might just pack up and go back to Uzushio.

She's hopeful, however, when she sees the craftsmen already offering their work, wooden toys challenging braided baskets and hunting knives. It's a delight to see the talent of her adopting clan, leather and wood work as their primary skill. Mito has to stop when she reaches the Uchiha stalls, though.

She should have guessed that, with their mastery of fire, they would find ways to incorporate those skills into their craftsmanship. She finds an exhibition of beautifully decorated potteries, both ornamental and practical. There are iron sculptures, jewellery and forged weapons.

One of the merchants notices her staring and waves at her with a careful smile. She's not a Senju in many people's eyes, because she kept her name and never fought by their side, and it does help with the Uchiha. They don't seem as wary of her as they are of her husband or brother-in-law (especially him, poor awkward boy).

 

“Good morning, Mito-sama!”

She smiles back, her hands tucked in the sleeves of her kimono. “Good morning, shokunin-san.”

“May I interest you in some of my pieces? Those cups were bisque fired just this morning!”

“Oh? Did you bring your– oven? I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with your craft.”

The man laughs. “It's called a kiln, my Lady. And no, I did not. It is far too cumbersome. I dug a hole in the ground for pit firing. It's not as precise, but it does the job just fine.”

Mito nods, impressed. Those people had to adapt pretty quickly. “I'm amazed at the details on your work. Are you doing it all by yourself?”

“Lords no, a toddler would handle a brush better than me. My husband is the artist.”

“Give him my compliments then, shokunin-san.”

The man gives her a bright smile, his dark eyes crinkling in pleasure. “I will, my Lady.”

 

She's about to leave when an idea strikes her. She ponders a minute while looking at the potter's stand, before making her decision.

 

“Tell me, shokunin-san, would you be amenable to work on something for me?”

 

He looks at her curiously, while the merchants around all turn their attention to them.

 

“What do you have in mind?”

 

Mito smiles playfully.

 

Half an hour later, she's a thousand ryō lighter but the smile hasn't left her face. She also purchased a dish from an Uchiha street vendor, curious about the strange meal he was offering at his stand. With some luck, Hashirama will find it delightfully foreign and he'll go pester Madara about it, which should make for quite a bit of fun.

Mito doesn't expect to (literally) run into a group of dark-haired, black-eyed boys on her way to her house. They're running out of an alley and she's not paying much attention to where she's stepping, which causes the first two children to collide with her legs. Her kimono is Uzushio standard, which means that she has little to no room for moving her legs. Certainly not enough to regain her balance, as a matter of fact.

She has a second to say farewell to her dignity before falling on her butt in the middle of the street, two boys stumbling into her lap as she does.

 

“Ancestors, you ran into Mito-sama!”

 

She doesn't see who yelled this, but the poor kids scramble to their feet with uzumaki-red faces. Mito is, quite honestly, too busy thinking about the logistics of getting up without getting naked in public.

Her grumbling stops when she hears the first wavering breath, a second before a silent sob has her raising her head. The smallest of the two boys is crying quietly, his little fists pressed against his eyes.

 

“Oh no, no, please don't cry! It is fine, child, I'm not crossed with you!”

 

Mito feels utterly useless and slightly guilty. That was not how she expected her morning to go. She turns towards the taller boy, who's looking at her like she's about to strike him. Gods, does she hate this stupid war.

 

“What is his name?”

“Uchiha Kagami, Uzumaki-sama, ma'am,” he replies with tense shoulders, his eyes on the ground.

“Kagami, please stop crying. I promise I'm not mad at you.”

 

The child looks at her, cautious through his tears. Mito suddenly has an epiphany and reaches into the paper bag she was carrying. She hands it wordlessly to the child, hoping for some miracle.

Kagami peeks into it, before looking at her with wide-open eyes.

 

“It's for me?”

“Yes! Yes, all of you, go ahead.”

 

Kagami looks at the other boys, wonder colouring his features.

 

“Arashi! It's _dango_!”

“Really?”

 

Mito watches with a puzzled look as the children throw themselves at the food, devouring it in minutes. Well, now she knows what she has to teach herself for Madara's next visit.

 

“Do you like it?” she asks dumbly, blinking in surprise.

“Are you kidding? We haven't had dango in ages! It's way too expensive!”

 

That... just makes her very sad.

 

She sets her jaw. Whatever important things were in her schedules today will have to wait. This simply won't do.

 

“Arashi, help me get up. You too, what's your name?”

“Yukai, Uzumaki-sama.”

“Alright, thank you, both of you.”

 

She turns around, trying to see if the dust on her pristine kimono is manageable. Then she looks at the curious faces around her and she decides that the state of her clothing can go follow her responsibilities in the alternate universe where they're currently waiting for her to want them back.

 

“Follow me, children.”

 

Mito is doing an admirable job at ignoring the stares that follow them to the street vendor, and the astonished look said vendor sends her when he sees her. And the six children trailing like ducklings behind her.

 

“Hello again. Could you give one of those things you sold me to each of those kids, please?”

 

This time, they find a very reasonable bench to sit on, which allows for Mito to remains dignified and for the children to start crawling all over her as they eat their sweets.

She's very pleased to see the fond looks every Uchiha gives her as they walk next to the bench. Somehow, it feels like a greater victory than any peace talks her husband managed to organize.

 


	4. Sleep

It's late at night, the soft light of the moon curving around the shapes of the newly-formed village. Izuna doesn't really know why he's out there, wandering the streets, when there is a perfectly good bed waiting for him at home.

There are ants crawling up his veins and shivers at his fingertips.

It's like being back in the old compound, waiting for the next frontal assault, for the next day, for the new blood on his sword. Somehow, Konoha's peace is the most terrifying thing he's lived through.

The village is a wonder of warmth but practical in the way it's built, Uchiha efficiency and Senju openness. It's impossible to get lost, because it's all straight streets leading to the main buildings, and a mountain range towering above. Yet Izuna walks, and walks, and never seems to find what he's looking for.

Not that he knows what that is in the first place.

He's cold, the thin fabric of his yukata barely covering his pale skin from the bite of the night. He still walks, though. His hands want to grab something so he fists them in his hair and the pain is something familiar, comfortable, warm like a Senju's smile –

 

“Izuna? Are you okay?”

 

His shivering hands are covered with tougher ones and a body shields both the moon and the cold.

Izuna doesn't remember how to blink.

 

“Breathe. Come on, Izuna.”

 

Is that why there are tears in his eyes?

His face is suddenly pressed against a hard chest, body armour that smells of leather and dirt.

 

“I need— I can't, ah-”

“Izuna. You're safe. I promise you, you are _safe_.”

“Help-”

 

Suddenly, he yelps, a brutal shock wave coursing through his muscles. The electricity slaps him in the face and leaves him disoriented and dizzy, but breathing normally.

 

“Did you just use a raiton on me?” He says through a cough.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Haruno replies with a straight face.

“Kami,” he whines. “What are you doing outside anyway? Not that I'm complaining, but...”

“I left the Senju Estate and I didn't feel like going home. I wandered for a bit and I fell asleep in the forest.”

 

She doesn't return him the question and he adores her just a little bit for that. They simply walk in silence back to the Uchiha Compound, Haruno a step behind him. He wonders, sometimes, who she was before. She appeared in their old lands an hour after Tobirama's fatal blow and she healed him before even talking to anyone in the room. A second later, the first white creatures popped into existence.

They know she didn't tell them the whole truth, not anything more than what they need to know. She isn't from their time, she's not a Uchiha, and her world is no more. Aside from that, they were left with an exhausted, pink-haired woman and a wailing newborn.

It had been a quick decision to integrate her into their ranks. She started dying her hair and took on the Uchiha name. Those without sharingan were rare, but not inexistent, and with her skills in healing, she stayed inside the Compound and made sure anyone who was brought to her didn't die.

Now he looks at her, that stranger he sees as clan, as family, like every other Uchiha in the new village. He thinks about Sokai, his round cheeks and puffy hair and the terror on his face whenever he alerts them to the presence of the white clones. He's the only one who can sense them, and that's another thing that Haruno never explained to them. He wonders who was the father, which of his descendant had a child with Haruno. Who she had to left behind when she ran with her son.

She waves at him when she enters her house, and he waves back with a hint of fondness in his grin, for that stranger-turned-family who he owes his life to.

 

 

 

Life in the village leaves everyone breathless, waiting for the other senbon to drop. It's so alien to their entire life, to the habits they built from years upon years of fighting. And that's just the Senju and the Uchiha, but as soon as the two Shodaime start to integrate more clans, it becomes clearer and clearer that this lifestyle is going to cling to them for the rest of their life. Which puts a _lot_ of pressure on the youngest generation, who never had to fight in the war.

A select few become academy teachers, thanks to Tobirama and his relentless calls for a better teaching system. Others, trained by the former, are the very first instructors in Leaf's history. Haruno is one of them.

As soon as the daycare opens, she begrudgingly leaves Sokai in their care and she's assigned a team of eleven-year-old, the kind who would have once fought against each other on the field. The only blood they spill, instead, is the one from their broken nose once they're done nagging at each others. Haruno is tired already, Tobirama can tell when he comes to pick up his own team.

He has an Uchiha, which is both a step he willingly takes to make their clans closer, and an awkward fact he feels weird about. The Akimichi is the sweetest kid he's ever had the chance to meet, and even Danzō has that undying faith in their village that makes him want to ruffle his hair.

Haruno's team has an Uchiha too, and one of his own cousins, Senju Sora. The last one if from one of the newest clans. He doesn't know the kid's name, but he remembers them because most of the clan happily blurs lines between genders and he has no idea if the new pupil is a boy or a girl.

He doesn't know what to think of the woman. He has yet to confront her again about the techniques she uses with such ease, when he's struggling every day to get better at them. He's dying to ask about the seal on her forehead, a thousand times louder and more obnoxious than Mito's. It's at least two times the amount his sister-in-law has stored, and he has no idea how Haruno can handle that much energy so close to her brain.

Tobirama is a sensor, has been all his life. He knows very well what chakra feels like, what it tastes like when someone is about to mold it. He feels like a man in the desert of the Land of Wind whenever he pays close attention to Haruno's forehead. That's how much chakra there's inside of her seal.

Now that peace is established, and given how much effort Hashirama and Mito are putting into making friends with the Uchiha, he isn't so sure about angering one of them. His own reluctance to ask questions is making him twitchy, he knows. In a way, it's good that has now has a team to take care of, because he might have gone to bother Haruno as soon as she showed the smallest hint of boredom.

Instead, he watches from afar and polishes his questions. When he gets to speak to her, he wants to be sure the right answers will be given to him. He'll get the secrets out of that woman, if it's the last thing he does.

 

 

 

As is now her habit, Mito goes to her bench on the main street of Konoha. The children are already waiting for her. The couple of Uchiha kids have been joined by Senju, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka and Hatake. Mito was there when Hashirama drafted the proposals for the latter to join the village and she's excited to meet the two silver-haired girls she sees braiding Kagami's hair.

 

“Mito-sama!”

 

She takes place in the midst of all the children and the youngest Nara boy is already crawling in her lap for his daily nap.

 

“Hello, Arashi-chan, Yukai-chan. Aren't you boys looking nice today!”

The oldest giggles. “We have a meeting with Madara-sama. It's about the _sharingan_ ,” he stage-whispers with a glint in his eyes.

“And you still took time to come meet me? That's very nice of you.”

Yukai looks deadly serious when he answers. “We would never miss it, Mito-sama.”

 

She's dying internally but she feels the eyes watching them so she keeps a straight face. It's a gamble, every time, to spend her afternoon with so many clan children when she's one of the leader's wife.

 

“Can I sit with you?”

 

Mito looks up. She's suddenly facing huge, staring black eyes. She blinks a few times in surprise, taking in the baby strapped to his mother's body and facing the world with a better poker face than she could ever attempt.

 

“Haruno-san. Of course, join us.”

“Thank you. Hello, boys,” she smiles at the Uchiha children.

“Haruno-sama! Can we play with Sokai?” Kagami asks, freeing himself from the grip of the Hatake girls.

“Sure, just be careful. You know he doesn't walk very well.”

“Promise!”

 

Kagami lifts the baby with difficulty, his face turning bright red until Arashi comes to help him. Together, they join Yukai and the Akimichi heir, leaving Mito and Haruno sitting close, the only thing separating them being a sleeping Nara child.

 

“I'm surprised to see you here,” Mito says, eyes on the street instead of the woman next to her.

“Why? Would you think me petty enough to deprive my child of companionship?”

Mito frowns slightly. “I don't think anything of you, Haruno-san. I don't know enough about you to make any kind of opinion. All I can testify for is your incredible strength and the technique we share.”

“Sorry. Antagonizing people is a bit of an habit for me, I admit.” She pinches her nose, breathing deeply. “I'm tired. I thought getting out of the Compound would do me some good.”

“Tired? Do you have trouble sleeping?”

Haruno turns to look at her. “You haven't been on the battlefield, Mito-san. I'm glad, because no one should have to experience that. I guess you could say, yes, that I have trouble sleeping.” Her self-depreciating smirk makes Mito uncomfortable.

“We should spar, sometime,” Mito blurts out before she can stop herself. Haruno sends her a surprised look.

“Still trying to break my neck for stealing your seal?”

“I'm sorry.”

“I know, it's fine. Alright, why not? Tomorrow?”

 

Mito smiles, this time fully confident when she faces the unsettling hardness in Haruno's eyes.

 

“It's a date.

 


End file.
